Adjustable pedestal stool



May 10, 1949. H. M. scHAEF ADJUSTABLE PEDESTAL STOOL Filed June 15, 1945agi/'a9 I N VEN TOR 1554/391117 /7 inf/45W 1 Ell/,

Patented May 10, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in stools or the like, and moreparticularly to a novel supporting structure and the association of itscomponent parts including novel means to co-act with relatively movableparts to automatically lock the same in selected relative positions tovary the height of the stool.

Stools of the general character of that embodying the present inventionhave been employed heretofore, but in most known Iinstances positivemeans is provided to` release a clutching mechanism for holding theparts adjusted, while in other known instances no means is provided toprevent sticking and inadvertent gripping of such clutch mechanism.

In the instant device a construction is provided wherein two relativelymovable members are telescopically associated one within the other andare secured in adjusted relative positions by a novelly constructed,easily engaged and actuated clutch mechanism of a type adapted torespond instantly to any actuating force applied thereto.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide alocking mechanism for locking two relatively movable parts inselectively adjusted positions, of a kind which embodies novel means toinsure quick response to actuation of mechanism operable to enable thelocking elements to move to unlocked position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of thecharacter referred to including a tubular standard and a base embodyingnovel structural features useful primarily in providing a rm support forthe standard nothwithstanding the presence of some unevenness in thesurface upon which said base is rested. f

Another object is to provide a stool of kthe character described whereinmeans is provided in the seat thereof operable to release mechanismnormally retaining the stool in a selectively adjusted position, whichmeans is effective to prevent inadvertent locking of said mechanismduring adjustment. Y

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent inthe following description and claims, and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment and theprinciple thereof and which is considered to be the best modecontemplated for applying that principle. Other embodiments Cil oftheinvention, embodying the same or equivalent principle, may be used andstructural changes may be made, as desired, by those skilled in the art,without departing from the spirit of the present invention and thepurview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view through a stool embodyingthe features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the locking mechanismillustrating it in unlocked position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional'view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the disclosure of the stool illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, said stool is comprised generally of a base II having a tubularstandard or support I2 extending upwardly therefrom and receivingtelescoped into its upper end a tubular post I3 depending downwardlyfrom a seat I4. Suitable locking mechanism, to be described'in detailhereinafter, is provided within the telescoped portions of the tubularstandard I2 and tubular post I3 to retain said parts in adjustedrelative positions.

The base I I preferably is formed from a circular piece of sheetmaterial, such as sheet metal, suitably dished to provide a lowercircumferential margin l5 having a plurality of downwardly struckoffsets constituting foot portions I6 on its peripheral margin adaptedto provide, as in the present instance, a three-point support for saidbase, whereby any irregularities in the surface upon which said baserests are compensated'for. The base II is provided with a centralaperture surrounded by a downwardly extending flange I'I internallythreaded to receive the threaded lower end of the tubular standard I2. Acap ring "I 8 is threaded onto the lower end of the standard I2 prior toits being mounted on the base plate I I and said cap is then rotatedabout the standard so as to carry it downwardly into tight bearingengagement with the top surface of the bas vI I. The cap ring I8 servesto reinforce the mounting of the standard I2 in the base II and alsoprovides an ornamental collar at the mounting'of the standard on thebase II.

The upper end of the tubular standard I2 is suitably provided with apair of sleeve bushings i9 and 20 which preferably are welded orotherwise rmly secured in place, and the bushing I9 has an externalannular ange 2| adapted to t tightly against the upper end of thestandard I2 so as to provide a smooth exterior surface at the meeting ofthe tubular standard and the flange 2I. The tubular post I3, dependingfrom the seat I4, is of such external diameter as to have a snug slidingt within the sleeve bushings I9 and 20 so as to be freely movable intovarious positions of adjustment relative to the standard I2.

As shown', the: uppfg'er'nd ort-he' tubular post I3 is threadedexternally and is mounted within a flanged collar 22 firmly secured, asby rivets 23,

ings. The rolling elements 48 are, as shown, disposed around the conicalportion 31 of the fitting 34 and are of such size as to be wedginglybound between the conical surface and the inside surface of the tubularstandard l2 only when said rolling elements yare moved upwardly part ofthe length of said conical portion '31.

When the rolling elements 48 are in the position illustrated in Fig. 2they rest upon the dished raceway 41 against the conical portion 31 andare spaced inwardly from the inside surface of the standard I2 so las topermit the inner tubular post I3 to be moved freely into variouspositions with respect to said standard. Such positioning of the rollingelements 48; is attained only when the stem 38 has been depressed so asto lower the dished raceway 41 relative to the fitting 34. Howto anddepending from the bottom face of the seat I4. The seat I4 preferablyincludesa sheet metal circular member 24 and a c'vr portion 25, thelatter being of substantially smaller diameter than the portion 24 andbeing adapted to be seated in an annular depress'edprtibn 26 in the topface of the member 24. In the present disclosure, the circular member 24is suitably depressed centrally, asa't 21, so as to dispose theangdcollar 22' below theplaneof the downwadly turned circumferentialflange 28 on the member 24. Tli centraihepressejd portion 21 includesawall portin 2Q which has an aperture in axial alignment with theifubular.4 post I3 in which is secured a. cylindrical 'cupl'lilemember3l. The cup-likemernber I extends downwardly no .the @hier its @a baroniwir e nal's 'is aptured t'o receive freely therethrough a rod 33 providelv or a purpose to be. described in dtail li'ereinaflier.'I A

The locking mechanism provided for holding the tubular post I3 -in anadjusted 'position relative to th tubular standard yI2 is best shown inFigs. 14 and 2 andiscarried entirely bythe tubular post vI3'. As'show'n,a cylindrical fitting 34is fitted into the lower end of the tubularpost-I3 and is secured therein. preferably bifibck screws 35. 'Said I iiftt`in` y diameter l tothe vuissl'vle diameter of-thetub'u a* `v t I 3arida-downwardly extendmasonic/,a1 pQrl19n-lf--1 An axial Obe'ee is'Drovided in the tti-hg 34.126: receivehfor free slidingmovementtherethrough, astem -387w-hic`zh extends upwardly -into thetubularjlpost and is `provided on its upper end with'a head. 39. Aspring 4l surrounds the stem 38 and 4ifsdisposedbetween the innerl endof the hitting 34 'and the head 3S so as;v toV normally urge the stein`upwardly into the tubular post I3., The stem 38heXtends downward--ly'fbeyond' the lower end of -th'e conical portion 31 of `iittingY 34and its lower end is suitably reduced in diameter and threaded Vasat 42.j

A washer43rfbestshown in Fig. 2,v is fitted over the threaded' endf 42of the Ystein 38 and is secured rmlyon said stem as by a lockwa'sher andnut44y andj-respectively. The washer 43 issubstantially dish-shapedtoprovi'de a recess 46 having jan internal "diameter ofsuch size as tofitv f 'reely'over the lowjer `end 'of the conical portion 31 Yof thefitting 34 in the event said washer is positioned So as to', telescope1thereovei'. The washer A43 'also includes a circumferential flange 41disposed at the upper end of the walls dening f the recess 46 `which isinclined upwardly and outwardly so, as to `provide an annular inwardlydownwardly inclined surface or dished raceway adaptedto-su-pportapjlurality'of rolling elements 48 which in the present instance areball bearever, in the absence of such pressure, the spring 4I will urgethe raceway 41 upwardly relative to the iitti'ng 34 so as to carry therolling elements i'nt'o such position that they are tightly wedgedbetweeny theconical portion 31 and the inside surface of the standardI2. Such a position of the rolling elements is illustrated in Fig. 1 andwhen said elements are thus positioned, the tubular member 3l' andwholly inc l'osed within the tubular post I3. The upper end'of the rod33 projects into the depressed central portion21 of the seat I4 and isprovided on its end with a button 52 disposed in accessible through anopening 53 in the cover 25. A spring 54, located between the bottom wall32 of the cuplike member 3| and the button 52 normally retains the rod33 inan elevated position with astop-pin 54' thereon in abutmentY withthe wall v32.

The lower end of thorod 33 is adapted to cooperate with the head 39` onthe stem 38. However, due to variances in the over-all length ofassembled units, the 'rod 33 carries an adjustable element on its lowerend to compensate for such variations. As shown, the lower end of therod 33 may be t apped, as at 55, to receive a screw 55 having a lock nut51thereon, which screw is adjustableto vary the `effective over-alllength of the rod 33 so as to insure contact between said rod and thestem head 39.

It should be evident at this time that upon the application of manualpressure downwardly on thebutton 52, the vrod 33 is `moved downwardly tosimilarly carry the `stern 38A in a downward direction to thereby movethe dished raceway 41 away from the rolling' elementsv '48. The rollingelements 48 being then in a wedged position, and being incapable offollowing the raceway '41 downwardly, it is then necessary to grasp theseat I4 and elevate it slightly while holding the rod 33 depressed. Suchupward movement of the seat', and likewise of the tubular post I3,releases the rolling elements 48 from their wedging position, whereuponth'ey drop onto the raceway 41 and, because of the inclination 'of thesaid raceway, they roll inwardly away from the wall of the tubularstandard I2; The post I3 may then be repositioned; It is evident thatthe rolling elements 4B are thereby so 'located "as to vbe sufficientlyspaced from the wall of the standardIZ that they are not liable to befrictionally engaged thereby, during adjustment of the stool, withsufficient force to cause them to be drawn upwardly into a wedginglocking engagement.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed in detail hereinabove, and specifically disclosed in theaccompanying drawing, it should be evident that the invention may embodya wide variety of modications in detail structure without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: l. A stool comprising, in combination, an upright tubularmember, a second tubular post;

telescoped into the upper end of said tubular member, a cone carried onthe lower end of said tubular post, a stem carried in the tubular postand extending through the cone, a washer on said stem including a ringhaving a hollow hub portion, at least the top surface of said ring beinginclined upwardly outwardly radially, a plurality of rolling elementsseated on said top surface of the ring surrounding the cone, and aspring to normally urge said washer into telescoped relation with saidcone to move the rolling elements outwardly radially into wedgingengagement between the cone and tubular member.

2. A stool comprising, in combination, an upright tubular member, asecond tubular post telescoped into the upper end of said tubularmember, a cone carried on the lower end of said tubular post, a stemcarried in the tubular post and extending through the cone, a washer onsaid stem including a ring having a hollow hub Dortion, a plurality ofrolling elements seated on said ring surrounding the cone, said ringhaving a roller supporting surface having its inner peripheral edgelocated on a plane below its outer peripheral edge whereby the rollingelements tend to rest against the cone, a spring to urge said washerinto telescoped relation with said cone to move the rolling elementsupwardly into wedging engagement between the cone and tubular member,and a rod associated with said stem operable to overcome the action ofsaid spring and shift the washer downwardly to permit said rollingelements to roll inwardly away from said tubular member.

3. A stool comprising, in combination, an upright tubular member, asecond tubular post telescoped into the upper end of said tubularmember, a cone carried on the lower end of said tubular post, a stemcarried in the tubular post and extending through the cone, a washer onsaid stem including a ring having a hollow hub portion, said ring havinga roller supporting surface having its outer peripheral edge elevatedabove the plane of its inner peripheral edge, a plurality of rollingelements seated on said ring surrounding the cone, a spring to normallyurge said washer into telescoped relation with said cone to move therolling elements outwardly into wedging engagement between the cone andtubular member, and manually operable means engageable with the sternactuable to shift the washer downwardly against the action of saidspring whereby said rolling elements move inwardly radially by gravityout of their wedging engagement.

4. In an adjustable stool or the like, the combination of a verticallymovable seat supporting tubular post, a stationary tubular membertelescoped over the post, a conical fitting carried on the lower end ofsaid post, rolling elements surrounding said tting for lockingengagement between the fitting and the surface of the tubular member,shiftable means including a stem extending through said tting into thetubular post normally retaining the rolling elements in such lockingengagement, a control rod effective to move said shiftable means toenable the rolling elements to move into an ineffective position, saidrod being enclosed within said tubular post and being accessible formanipulation through an opening in the seat, and means on said rodadjustable to vary its effective length to insure contact between therod and stem.

5. In an adjustable stool or the like, the combination of a verticallymovable seat supporting tubular post, a stationary tubular membertelescoped over the post, a conical tting carried on the lower end ofsaid post, rolling elements surrounding said tting for lockingengagement between the fitting and the surface of the tubular member,shiftable means including a stem extending through said iitting into thetubular post normally retaining the rolling elements in such lockingengagement, a control rod effective to move said shiftable means toenable the rolling elements to move into an ineffective position, andmeans on said rod adjustable to vary its effective lngth to insurecontact between the rod and s em.

6. In an adjustable stool or the like, the combination of a verticallymovable seat supporting tubular post, a stationary tubular membertelescoped over the post, a conical fitting carried on the lower end ofsaid post, rolling elements surrounding said fitting for lockingengagement between the fitting and the surface of the tubular member,shiftable means including a stern eX- tending through said fitting intothe tubular post normally retaining the rolling elements in such lockingengagement, and a control rod operatively associated with said stem anddepending through an opening in said seat and through the tubular post,sai-d control rod being engageable through the seat opening foractuation to move the shiftable means and permit the rolling elements tomove into an ineffective position.

'7. In a stool having a tubular support, a seat mounted on said support,said seat comprising a circular member having a downwardly turnedannular flange and a depressed central portion, a circumferentialshoulder in the peripheral margin of said member, a collar secured toand extending downwardly from the depressed central portion, said collarproviding a fitting to mount the seat on the tubular support, and acylindrical member secured to said depressed portion within the collar,said cylindrical member and depressed portion having aligned openingsthrough which a rod extends, and a cover seated on the circular memberand of a size to fit snugly within the circumferential shoulder havingan opening registering with the rod openings so that access may be hadto said rod.

8. In a stool having a tubular support, a seat mounted on said support,said seat comprising a circular member having a downwardly turnedannular flange and a depressed central portion, a collar secured to andextending downwardly from the depressed central portion, said collarproviding a fitting to mount the seat on the tubular support, and acylindrical member secured to said depressed portion within the collar,said cylindrical member and depressed portion having aligned openingsthrough which a rod extends, and a cover seated on the circular mem-`ber having Lan l:mening .registering `with the :rnd

npenings sothat access-may be'had'to saidrod.

HAROLD M. 1SCHAEF.

REFERENCES CITED "The fo'llowng references are of `record in the fiileof this patents UNITED STATES PATENTS vNumber Name Date Matthe Apr. *21,1885 -Homer Jan. 12, :1897 Adler Feb. 17, 1903 Coy Jan. 30, 1906Fagerstrom Apr. 10, 1906 Trumbull AMar. 19, 1907 Number Number

